Special to the Sun
Ellis Early Learning raised $450,000 for its mission and honored two “Sheroes of Early Childhood Education,” Krissy Davis and Jeri Robinson, at its annual benefit event held Oct. 27 at the Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology in the South End.
Davis, a former Ellis director, is a Deloitte vice chair and leader of Deloitte’s U.S. investment management industry practice. She served on the Ellis board for more than eight years and has a deep commitment to the community and a passion for the accessibility of high-quality early childhood education.
Robinson is the chairperson of the Boston School Committee and served as the vice president of early childhood initiatives at the Boston Children’s Museum. She has more than 40 years of experience in teaching and consulting in early childhood education.
“We were so pleased to recognize Krissy, a longtime leader and champion of Ellis, along with Jeri, who is a key partner as we strive to enhance the accessibility of early childhood education for working families in our community,” said Lauren Cook, CEO of Ellis Early Learning. “The funds raised in their honor are vitally needed as we contend with a highly constrained workforce and demand for care that outstrips the supply of available teachers.”
More than 200 parents, teachers and donors enjoyed the evening to honor the Ellis Sheroes. Despite persistent financial challenges faced by Ellis and the early childhood education sector, the benefit was an opportunity to celebrate with cocktails and dinner, music, and fun.
The event co-chairs were Ellis Board of Directors Chair Coleen Downs Dinneen, retired executive vice president at Natixis, and board member Jim Geraghty, managing director and private wealth advisor at Morgan Stanley.
Ellis is grateful for generous support from local corporations and organizations, including Amazon, The Baupost Group, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Deloitte, Eastern Bank, Kirkland & Ellis, Moderna Foundation, Natixis, State Street, The TJX Companies, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and the Wellington Foundation.